Main Engine Cut Off

SpaceX successfully flew and landed Starship SN15 last week, amid protests of their NASA HLS award by Blue Origin and Dynetics.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, and seven anonymous—and 576 other supporters.TopicsStarship | SN15 | High-Altitude Flight Test - YouTubeFollowing Starship SN15's success, SpaceX evaluating next steps toward orbital goals - NASASpaceFlight.comLittle Joe 2 BP-22 Successful Failure - YouTubeT+186: NASA Selects Starship as Artemis Lander - Main Engine Cut OffBlue Origin protests NASA Human Landing System award - SpaceNewsDynetics protests NASA HLS award - SpaceNewsSpaceX bid on launch of NASA cubesat mission - SpaceNewsNASA Suspends HLS Contract With SpaceX – SpacePolicyOnline.comThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max JustusArtwork photo by NASA

Eric Berger of Ars Technica returns to the show to talk about NASA selecting SpaceX’s Starship for its Artemis landings, Bill Nelson’s nomination hearing, Amazon buying 9 Atlas V launches for Kuiper, and the state of Blue Origin.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, and seven anonymous—and 547 other supporters.TopicsEric BergerEric Berger | Ars TechnicaLiftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceXNASA’s bold bet on Starship for the Moon may change spaceflight forever | Ars TechnicaBill Nelson backs NASA decision on lunar lander in confirmation hearing | Ars TechnicaABL Space has never launched a rocket, but it just landed a huge contract | Ars TechnicaAmazon’s first Internet satellites will not launch on Blue Origin rockets | Ars TechnicaBlue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket is delayed for years. What went wrong? | Ars TechnicaAxiom secures $130M in additional funding — Axiom SpaceThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

NASA selected SpaceX’s Starship as its ride for crew to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program. As the Source Selection Statement outlines, Starship was selected as the sole winner because of the constrained lander budget. It’s an aggressive, interesting, and exciting move from NASA, so I have a lot of thoughts.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Jack, and seven anonymous—and 543 other supporters.TopicsAs Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on MoonSource Selection Statement - Human Landing System, Option A Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2Biden Requests 6.3 Percent Increase for NASA – SpacePolicyOnline.comChairwoman Johnson Statement on NASA’s Artemis Human Landing System Award | House Committee on Science, Space and TechnologyAmazon contracts nine Atlas 5 missions for Kuiper broadband satellites - SpaceNewsThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

President Biden nominated Bill Nelson to be the new NASA Administrator, so I check in on some of my past thoughts on NASA Administrators and Jim Bridenstine, talk about Bill Nelson’s history in space policy, and what the future may hold under a Bill Nelson NASA.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, and seven anonymous—and 523 other supporters.TopicsPresident Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Bill Nelson for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The White HouseWidespread support for Nelson nomination to lead NASA - SpaceNewsSen. Nelson Floats Alternate Use for NASA Commercial Crew Money - SpaceNewsNASA to offer funding for initial studies of commercial space stations - SpaceNewsThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

Our good friend Jake Robins, host of WeMartians and my cohost on Off-Nominal, joins me to talk about the arrival and early operations of the 2021 Mars fleet—Hope, Tianwen-1, and Perseverance. Then we dig into what the future of Martian exploration looks like, including strategy, communications, sample return, and the upcoming decadal survey.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, and seven anonymous—and 509 other supporters.TopicsWeMartians PodcastJake Robins | PatreonWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) / TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) / TwitterHome - Off-NominalEpisode 39 - Europe Saved Cassini’s Ass - Off-NominalWeMartians - Episode 95 - Big Rocket Roundup (feat. Anthony Colangelo)Hope Mars Mission on Twitter: “The Emirates Ultraviolet Spectrometer captured these images of Mars from an altitude of 36,000 km above the Martian surface. Each colour represents light collected at a different ultraviolet wavelength and provides information about the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere.”WeMartians - Episode 81 – A Probe Called Hope (feat. the Mars Hope team)WeMartians - Episode 92 - Hope Arrives at Mars (feat. Sarah Al Amiri)China's Tianwen-1 enters orbit around Mars - SpaceNewsWeMartians - Episode 94 - Guiding Perseverance to the Ground (feat. Swati Mohan)Mars 2020 Mastcam Z Sol 4 Horizon PanoramaReport calls for revamped cost-conscious vision for Mars exploration - SpaceNewsNASA Awards Mars Ascent Propulsion System Contract for Sample Return – NASA’s Mars Exploration ProgramNASA considering commercial Mars data relay satellites - SpaceNewsThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

Peter Beck, Founder, CEO, and CTO of Rocket Lab, joins me to talk about going public, their new, bigger launch vehicle, Neutron, updates to their Electron and Photon offerings, eating hats, and avoiding eating hats in the future.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, and seven anonymous—and 498 other supporters.TopicsPeter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) / TwitterRocket Lab | Frequent and reliable access launch is now a reality | Rocket LabNeutron | Rocket LabIntroducing Neutron - YouTubeEpisode T+182: Rocket Lab Neutron, Relativity Terran R - Main Engine Cut OffRocket Lab says SPAC deal will accelerate development of Neutron rocket - SpaceNewsRocket Lab Demonstrates New Orbital Maneuvering Capability with Most Complex Kick Stage Mission Yet | Rocket LabRocket Lab on Twitter: “But the mission's not over then! After customer payloads are deployed, Photon Pathstone will remain in orbit to build flight heritage across the spacecraft’s subsystems ahead of our CAPSTONE mission to the Moon for @NASA later this year.”Peter Beck on Twitter: “First Rocket Lab solar panels rolling off the Long Beach production line for Photon missions.”Peter Beck on Twitter: “The briefcase – this is what makes Photon a plug and play satellite. Attach this to any Kick Stage and it instantly becomes a Photon satellite. Launching on our next mission later in March.”The ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

Relativity sorta-announced a bigger launch vehicle, Terran R. A few days later, Rocket Lab really announced a bigger launch vehicle, Neutron. I hate one announcement, and love the other.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, and seven anonymous—and 483 other supporters.TopicsRelativity's reusable Terran rocket competitor to SpaceX's Falcon 9Relativity Space on Twitter: “We've officially completed and buckle-tested the Stage 1 Iron Bird tank demonstrator model! Check out these shots of the tank moving outdoors, going fully vertically and being installed into our LA1 Structures Test Stand.”Neutron | Rocket LabIntroducing Neutron - YouTube2020 NASA Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) Selections | NASAThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe wherever you listen to podcastsSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

SpaceX broke their turnaround record and is racking up quite the flight history across their Falcon fleet. Lockheed selected ABL for a launch from the Shetland Islands. Firefly shook up their board, is looking for new investment, and won a CLPS contract from NASA.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, the Astrogators at SEE, and seven anonymous—and 471 other supporters.TopicsGwynne Shotwell talks about selling flight-proven rockets, Starship | Ars TechnicaSpaceX fires 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, with more set to launch Friday – Spaceflight NowLockheed Martin selects ABL Space Systems for UK launch - SpaceNewsEpisode T+169: Commercial Small Launcher Updates - Main Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off on Twitter: “Something is up at @Firefly_Space, though. Max Polyakov and Mark Watt have been removed from Firefly’s about page within the last month or two. Here it is on the Wayback Machine from October…”On eve of first launch, Firefly revamps board of directors, may go public | Ars TechnicaFirefly Aerospace seeking to raise $350 million - SpaceNewsNASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery | NASAThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

Christian Davenport, reporter at The Washington Post, joins me to talk about the aborted SLS Green Run hot fire, the space policy landscape as we enter a new administration, Axiom’s Ax-1 mission and its crew, and Virgin Orbit’s first successful launch to orbit.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, Space Exploration Engineering, and seven anonymous—and 473 other supporters.TopicsChristian Davenport (@wapodavenport) / TwitterChristian Davenport - The Washington PostThe Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos - Bookshop.orgThe Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos - AmazonOfficials had doubts about likely success of NASA SLS test, briefing notes show - The Washington PostTrump pushed NASA to land astronauts on the moon by 2024. It’s not going to happen. - The Washington PostMeet the private citizens who'll pay $55 million each to fly to the International Space Station - The Washington PostEpisode 32 - Well Within the Kill Zone | Off-NominalRichard Branson's Virgin Orbit rocket reaches space - The Washington PostThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

Meagan Crawford, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SpaceFund and host of the Mission Eve podcast, joins the show to talk about the financing side of space. We talk about recent rounds of fundraising, acquisitions, holding companies, and she helps me sort through my thoughts on the whole Special Purpose Acquisition Company trend.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, and seven anonymous—and 466 other supporters.TopicsMeagan Crawford (@MeaganMCrawford) / TwitterSpaceFund Venture Capital - Funding the Future | SpaceFund‎Mission Eve on Apple PodcastsMission Eve | Podcast on SpotifySpaceX raises $1.9 billion in equity - SpaceNewsRelativity Space raises $500 million - SpaceNewsOneWeb raises $400 million - SpaceNewsRemote sensing satellite firm completes huge funding round as Chinese space sector activity accelerates - SpaceNewsChina’s Landspace raises $175 million for Zhuque-2 launch vehicles - SpaceNewsChina's First Commercial Rocket Company Raises USD181 Mln to Develop Kuaizhou Series of Carrier RocketsLockheed Martin to Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne, Strengthening Position as Leading Provider of Technologies to Deter Threats and Help Secure the United States and its Allies - Dec 20, 2020Space holding company Voyager to acquire Nanoracks, which added an airlock to the space station | Voyager Space HoldingsRedwire acquires Made In Space - SpaceNewsRichard Branson’s Virgin Turns to SPAC to Raise Cash - WSJMomentus to go public with Stable Road Acquisition Corp. - SpaceNewsThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus